BTC-USD

Trading BTC/USD

BTCUSD is the ticker symbol for Bitcoin and the United States dollar exchange rate. BTC USD is a cryptocurrency CFD because of the presence of Bitcoin as the base currency.

Cryptocurrencies are known for their immense volatility, while the US dollar is by far the most traded fiat currency globally. As a result, BTC USD trading is the most popular crypto-to-fiat pair, and it serves as the de facto gold standard for the cryptocurrency market; providing the price direction cue for virtually the entire crypto market.

In the BTCUSD pair, Bitcoin is the base currency, while the US dollar is the quote currency. When, for instance, the price of the BTC-USD trading pair is 3,100, it means that one would require 3,100 US dollars to acquire 1 Bitcoin.

At AvaTrade, you can trade the most popular Bitcoin pair in a safe environment with low margin requirements, competitive spreads, and zero fees, all on an intuitive and robust trading platform.

Bitcoin (BTC)

Launched in 2008, Bitcoin was the first and remains the most popular cryptocurrency. Unlike traditional fiat currencies, which are backed by trusted third parties such as banks and governments, cryptocurrencies are decentralised and backed by peer-to-peer technology.

At the core of cryptocurrencies is the blockchain technology that serves a secure and accurate public ledger of all transactions. By design, there will only ever be 21 million bitcoins, and as of the beginning of 2019, more than 80% of this amount had already been mined.

This scarcity has always fuelled the demand for Bitcoin, and it is one of the key reasons why its value started at a measly $0.003 in its early days and peaked at almost the $20,000 mark in December 2017.

United States Dollar (USD)

Also known as the ‘greenback’, the US dollar is the most reserve held currency in the world. The USD is also the denominator for major commodities such as gold, silver, natural gas and crude oil in the global markets. As the official currency of the United States, also the world’s biggest economy, the USD is the most stable and liquid currency in the world that has rightly earned the title ‘king of currencies’.

Major Bodies influencing the BTC USD trading

The genesis of Bitcoin came during the 2008 global financial crisis, and initially, the crypto was touted as the future of money, essentially as an alternative to fiat.

Based on this, the major influential body that can impact the BTC USD trading pair is the US Federal Reserve, which has the mandate over the most powerful fiat currency, the USD. The Fed releases rate decisions 8 times a year, and these are important events for the BTC -USD price.

A rate hike would pressure the BTCUSD price lower, while any rate cut would provide tailwinds for the crypto pair. To put this into perspective, in November 2018, the BTC USD pair (Bitcoin Index) traded at $3,778.

Mainstream adoption of Bitcoin caused the December 2017 peak of just below $20,000. But as major regulatory bodies sought to impose strict rules governing the space, the crypto party has faced challenging times.

Regulation will continue to be a mixed pill for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Good headlines will push the BTC / USD price higher, while bad headlines will pressure it lower.

BTCUSD Trading Correlation

As stated, earlier Bitcoin provides the price direction cue for almost all cryptocurrencies. Therefore, the BTCUSD has a positive correlation with all the major crypto pairs, such as ETHUSD, BTGUSD, LTCUSD, ETCUSD and XRPUSD.

There is also an interesting correlation with gold. Gold has, for years, been considered a safe haven and a hedge against inflation and fiat- qualities that Bitcoin now portrays. Bitcoin is now effectively the digital gold.

Additionally, the price of gold is measured in USD, something shared by the BTCUSD trading pair. By sharing fundamental economic qualities, gold and Bitcoin have developed a positive correlation that traders should always consider.

Trading BTC USD with AvaTrade

AvaTrade offers a wide variety of benefits when trading online the BTCUSD pair: